Top Filmmaking Anime Recommendations

Hyouka

Also known as Hyouka.

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Mystery , Romance , Slice of Life

Energy-conservative high school student Houtarou Oreki ends up with more than he bargained for when he signs up for the Classic Literature Club at his sister's behest—especially when he realizes how deep-rooted the club's history really is. Begrudgingly, Oreki is dragged into an investigation concerning the 45-year-old mystery that surrounds the club room.

Accompanied by his fellow club members, the knowledgeable Satoshi Fukube, the stern but benign Mayaka Ibara, and the ever-curious Eru Chitanda, Oreki must combat deadlines and lack of information with resourcefulness and hidden talent, in order to not only find the truth buried beneath the dust of works created years before them, but of other side cases as well.

Based on the award-winning Koten-bu light novel series, and directed by Yasuhiro Takemoto of Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu, Hyouka shows that normal life can be full of small mysteries, be it family history, a student film, or even the withered flowers that make up a ghost story.



Tags: School Club , Detective , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Episodic , Classic Literature , Bowling , Heterosexual , Rural , Iyashikei , Filmmaking , Otaku Culture , Politics , Tsundere , Cosplay , Shrine Maiden , Bullying

[Oshi no Ko]

Also known as Oshi No Ko.

Studio: Doga Kobo
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

When a pregnant young starlet appears in Gorou Amemiya’s countryside medical clinic, the doctor takes it upon himself to safely (and secretly) deliver Ai Hoshino’s child so she can make a scandal-free return to the stage. But no good deed goes unpunished, and on the eve of her delivery, he finds himself slain at the hands of Ai’s deluded stalker — and subsequently reborn as Ai’s child, Aquamarine Hoshino! The glitz and glamor of showbiz hide the dark underbelly of the entertainment industry, threatening to dull the shine of his favorite star. Can he help his new mother rise to the top of the charts? And what will he do when unthinkable disaster strikes?



Note: Episode 1【推しの子】Mother and Children was pre-screened in advance in Japanese theaters on March 17, 2023. The regular TV broadcast began on April 12, 2023. The first episode has an extended runtime of ~82 minutes.

Tags: Acting , Tragedy , Idol , Revenge , Twins , Male Protagonist , Urban , Reincarnation , Heterosexual , Detective , Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Anti-Hero , Time Skip , Orphan , Pregnancy , Age Regression , Tsundere , Filmmaking , Seinen , Fake Relationship , Love Triangle , Bullying , Primarily Female Cast , Family Life , Urban Fantasy , Suicide , Fashion , School , Otaku Culture , Female Harem

PERFECT BLUE

Also known as Perfect Blue.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Psychological , Thriller

Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go... Encouraged by her managers, Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, when suddenly her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows, in this iconic psychological thriller that has frequently been hailed as one of the most important animated films of all time.



Note: The film received an early premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on August 5, 1997.

Tags: Dissociative Identities , Denpa , Female Protagonist , Acting , Idol , Primarily Adult Cast , Meta , Work , Filmmaking , Philosophy , Tragedy , Gore , Nudity , Noir

GREAT PRETENDER

Also known as Great Pretender.

Studio: WIT STUDIO
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Thriller

Self-styled “Japan's greatest swindler” Makoto Edamura is mainly targeting elder people and occasional foreign travelers. But when he tries to scam an apparently clueless French tourist in Tokyo, he can't possibly imagine that what looked like just another ordinary job is going to take him all the way to Los Angeles, tied upside-down on the famous Hollywood sign… And he is yet to find out what fate awaits him!



Tags: Crime , Foreign , Anti-Hero , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Urban , Work , Language Barrier , Mafia , Acting , Triads , Filmmaking , Drawing , Drugs , Gangs , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Aviation , Guns , Bisexual , Slavery , Tomboy , Detective , Episodic , War , Mahjong , Baseball , Tanned Skin , Nudity , LGBTQ+ Themes , Football , Terrorism

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu

Also known as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Mystery , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Kyon, your typical high school student, has long given up his belief in the supernatural. However, upon meeting Haruhi Suzumiya, he quickly finds out that it is the supernatural that she is interested in; aliens, time travelers and espers among other things. When Haruhi laments about the lack of intriguing clubs around school, Kyon inspires Haruhi to form her own club. As a result, the SOS Brigade is formed, a club which specializes in all that is the supernatural.

Much to his chagrin, Kyon, along with the silent bookworm, Yuki Nagato, the shy and timid Mikuru Asahina, and the perpetually smiling Itsuki Koizumi, are recruited as members. The story follows the crazy adventures that these four endure under their whimsical leader, Haruhi. The story is based on the light novels by Nagaru Tanigawa.

Note: This entry is for the original 14-episode 2006 airing. The series was further expanded and reordered into a 28-episode series in 2009.

Tags: School Club , Achronological Order , Urban Fantasy , Gods , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Time Manipulation , Aliens , Alternate Universe , Meta , Philosophy , Parody , Male Protagonist , Magic , Female Protagonist , Tsundere , Otaku Culture , Kuudere , Episodic , Kaiju , Filmmaking , Ensemble Cast , Maids , Baseball , Unrequited Love

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu (2009)

Also known as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009).

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Mystery , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Kyon has found himself dragged through many adventures as of late—all because of the SOS Brigade club and its excitable leader, Haruhi Suzumiya. He has stopped believing in the supernatural long ago, but after being forced to join this club based solely on that, he has seen things that cannot be explained logically.

Joining Kyon on his various misadventures is the shy and soft-spoken Mikuru Asahina, the bookish Yuki Nagato, and the ever-cheerful Itsuki Koizumi. Whether it is summer vacation or a school festival, things involving their club and Haruhi herself always end up becoming strange.

Note: This is a re-airing of the original Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu series, taken from the DVD release and aired in chronological order, adding 14 additional episodes with new content. These new episodes are episodes 8 (Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody), 12-19 (Endless Eight), and 20-24 (The Sigh of Suzumiya Haruhi Parts 1-5).

Tags: Primarily Teen Cast , Female Protagonist , School , Urban Fantasy , School Club , Time Manipulation , Gods , Aliens , Male Protagonist , Parody , Philosophy , Tsundere , Time Loop , Meta , Memory Manipulation , Kuudere , Filmmaking , Unrequited Love , Magic , Maids , CGI , Conspiracy , Bullying , Baseball

Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!

Also known as Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!.

Studio: Science SARU
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Slice of Life

First year high schooler Midori Asakusa loves anime so much, she insists that "concept is everything" in animation. Though she draws a variety of ideas in her sketchbook, she hasn't taken the first step to creating anime, insisting that she can't do it alone. The producer-type Sayaka Kanamori is the first to notice Asakusa's genius. Then, when it becomes clear that their classmate, charismatic fashion model Tsubame Mizusaki, really wants to be an animator, they create an animation club to realize the "ultimate world" that exists in their minds.



Tags: Drawing , School Club , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Urban , Otaku Culture , Surreal Comedy , Coming of Age , Educational , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Urban Fantasy , Filmmaking , Seinen , Tanned Skin , Ensemble Cast , Tomboy , Meta

Bokutachi no Remake

Also known as Remake Our Life!.

Studio: feel.
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

28-year old Hashiba Kyouya has hit a new low after losing his job at a shady game developer. He originally quit his steady office job to work in the creative industries that he admires, but it's proving to be a challenge even for a motivated go-getter like him. As he finds himself back at his parents house, between jobs, he can't help but wonder what would happen if he had a chance to redo his collegiate studies. Maybe things would turn out differently if he had gone to art school instead... and, shockingly enough, he might just get a chance to test that theory.



Note: The first episode aired with a runtime of ~51 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

Tags: College , Age Regression , Coming of Age , Time Skip , Time Manipulation , Video Games , Heterosexual , Love Triangle , Drawing , Male Protagonist , Otaku Culture , Work , Software Development , Acting , Tragedy , Filmmaking , Photography , School Club , Primarily Female Cast , Tsundere

Kamisama ni Natta Hi

Also known as The Day I Became a God.

Studio: P.A.WORKS
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

Youta Narukami is a student focused only on his college entrance exams. During his last summer break of high school, he is approached by a girl named Hina who says she is the god of omniscience. She tells him that in thirty days, the world will end. At first Youta doesn't believe her, but after she demonstrates supernatural predictive abilities, he becomes convinced her power is genuine. Hina, meanwhile, decides for some reason to stay at his house, and they begin a tumultuous vacation facing the end of the world together.



Note: The first episode received an early screening on October 3rd, 2020. The regular TV broadcast started on October 11th, 2020.

Tags: Disability , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Gods , Male Protagonist , Slapstick , Rehabilitation , Urban Fantasy , Filmmaking , Coming of Age , Time Skip , Cosmic Horror , Love Triangle , Kuudere , Acting , Video Games , Mahjong , Tsundere , Baseball , Episodic , Basketball

Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 cm Datta.

Also known as Our love has always been 10 centimeters apart..

Studio: Lay-duce
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life

The moment Miou Aida first met Haruki Serizawa at the Sakuragaoka High School Entrance Ceremony they both felt an unexplainable connection. Despite their completely different personalities, they found themselves walking home together after school every day. As they spend more time together, their feelings for each other grow stronger. Just 10 centimeters apart, but the distance remains...



Tags: Heterosexual , School , Drawing , Time Skip , Coming of Age , School Club , Female Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Filmmaking , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Photography

Sennen Joyuu

Also known as Millennium Actress.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Romance

Millennium Actress blurs the lines between the past and the present, and truth and fiction, when a documentary filmmaker fulfills his quest to find the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, and learn why she mysteriously vanished at the height of her brilliant career. When Chiyoko grants the filmmaker’s request, he, in turn, presents her with a token – a key she had lost and thought was gone forever. The filmmaker could not have imagined that the key would not only unlock the long-held secrets of Chiyoko’s life, but also his own.



Note: The film received an early premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 28, 2001.

Tags: Acting , Biographical , Historical , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Meta , Work , Time Skip , Filmmaking , Heterosexual , Unrequited Love , War , Coming of Age , Anachronism , Fugitive , Snowscape , Class Struggle , Denpa , Swordplay , Age Gap

Itou Junji: Collection

Also known as Junji Ito Collection.

Studio: Studio DEEN
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Anime adaptation of stories from both the 11-volume Ito Junji Kessaku-shuu series and the Fragments of Horror book.

Tags: Anthology , Episodic , Gore , Body Horror , Tragedy , Ghost , Demons , School , Super Power , Cosmic Horror , Crime , Urban , Ensemble Cast , Heterosexual , Curses , Monster Girl , Suicide , Alternate Universe , Circus , Filmmaking , Family Life , Nudity , Unrequited Love , Urban Fantasy , Kaiju , Josei , Male Protagonist

ef: a tale of memories.

Also known as ef ~ A Tale of Memories.

Studio: Shaft
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Romance

On Christmas Eve, Hiro Hirono's bike is stolen by a girl chasing a thief who stole her purse. He gives chase and finds her unconscious and his bike ruined. The girl, Miyako Miyamura, soon awakes and the two begin to talk. After making sure she is okay, they end up spending Christmas Eve together. Later, Hiro finds out Miyako attends the same school as him and they begin to spend more and more time together, Miyako developing affections for Hiro. Kei Shindou -- Hiro's childhood friend who has long held a crush on him -- begins to become jealous and a love triangle follows.

The series also tells the story of Renji Asou. One day, he meets Chihiro Shindou, the twin sister of Kei Shindou, at an abandoned train station. Even though she's very shy, they get along pretty well and begin meeting at the same spot everyday. However, Renji finds out that Chihiro was in a car accident years ago and as a consequence she suffers from a disability: her memory lasts only 13 hours. Nevertheless, after learning that Chihiro's dream is to write a novel, Renji finally decides to help her fulfill her dream while also trying to make her overcome the difficulties imposed by her condition.

Tags: Amnesia , Twins , Heterosexual , Love Triangle , Rehabilitation , Denpa , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Writing , Ghost , Philosophy , Drawing , Primarily Female Cast , Photography , Ensemble Cast , Filmmaking , Tragedy , Basketball , School , Nudity , Snowscape

Eiga Daisuki Pompo-san

Also known as Pompo: The Cinéphile.

Studio: CLAP
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama

The manga depicts the craft of movie-making and revolves around Joelle Davidovich "Pompo" Pomponette, a talented movie producer who looks like a little girl.

Operating out of the movie capital "Nyallywood," Pompo has been shooting one B-grade entertainment flick after another that anyone would enjoy. One day, Pompo's "movie buff" assistant Gene spots a new script written by Pompo, and is moved by its exquisite story. In a fit of passion, he proclaims, "I want to see this as a finished work in theaters as soon as possible!"

However, Pompo tells him, "So you shoot this film." Thus, Gene takes on his first directing gig. Meanwhile, Natalie, an ordinary girl who just arrived in town with movie actress dreams, has been discovered by Pompo.



Tags: Filmmaking , Work , Acting , Educational , Foreign , Primarily Adult Cast , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Meta , Male Protagonist , Shoujo , Writing , Classical Music

Tasogare Outfocus

Also known as Twilight Out of Focus.

Studio: Studio DEEN
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

A boys’ school film club is the backdrop for three tales of new romance. Mao and Hisashi pair up for a project, make three promises, and draw closer together in the process. The club president, Jin, and a jealous junior named Giichi clash before finding common ground. Shion, a first-year student, joins the film club in search of a boyfriend and butts heads with Rei—until Rei asks him on a date.



Tags: Boys' Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , Filmmaking , School , School Club , Cohabitation , Acting , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Ensemble Cast , Achronological Order , Kuudere , Coming of Age , Fake Relationship , Twins , Nudity , Crossdressing , Estranged Family , Age Gap

Star☆Twinkle Precure

Studio: Toei Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Sci-Fi

The story begins when the protagonist Hikaru meets aliens Lala, Prunce, and Fuwa while watching the night sky. She learns of the "Star Palace," where the 12 Star Princesses of the constellations kept the balance of the universe until they were attacked. Lala is searching for the legendary Precure warriors to help find the 12 scattered "Princess Star Color Pens" and revive the princesses. When Fuwa is captured by an enemy, Hikaru wishes to save Fuwa, and a Star Color Pendent and a Star Color Pen appear to allow her to transform into Cure Star. From then on she works to collect the pens and raise Fuwa, who is the key to reviving the princesses.

Tags: Henshin , Space , Aliens , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Magic , Astronomy , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Ensemble Cast , Travel , Urban Fantasy , Swordplay , Archery , Nekomimi , Anthropomorphism , Spearplay , Revenge , Super Power , School , Kids , Superhero , Shapeshifting , Dragons , Super Robot , Primarily Child Cast , Tokusatsu , Guns , Ojou-sama , Police , Robots , Filmmaking , Episodic , Artificial Intelligence , Kemonomimi , Language Barrier , Mafia , Drawing , Mermaid , Disability , Idol , Urban

Umi ga Hashiru End Roll

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Status: Not_Yet_Released
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Slice of Life

Umiko, a grandma, realizes that she has the same desire to make movies as university student Kai—and soon she enrolls in Kai's film school!

"It's not the movies you like…you like watching the people watching the movies."

Just what are you going to do with the rest of your life? It's the question you'll always have to answer, no matter your age. Umiko Chino is a 65-year-old retired woman in mourning for her late husband. Remembering how they used to watch films together, Umiko goes to the movie theater for the first time in years, where she meets Kai, an attractive, ambiguous young man who studies filmmaking at a nearby art school.

They would seem to have nothing in common, except for this—both of them sometimes like to look more at the way the audience reacts to a movie than the movie itself. Kai believes Umiko has the same deep desire he possesses to experience how people respond to something they made… and challenges her to stake the rest of her life discovering that thrill.

Soon Umiko surprises herself by enrolling in the same film school as Kai. But sailing into this new sea, she's suddenly inside the currents of her fellow students' lives, a much younger generation that she struggles to understand, driven by their own passions and their own relationships. Who's really experienced at life, and is it old age or observation that brings wisdom? And does what you're looking for change when you look with your eyes instead of through a camera lens…?



Tags: Female Protagonist , Elderly Protagonist , Filmmaking , LGBTQ+ Themes , Asexual , Photography , Primarily Adult Cast , College , Shoujo , Iyashikei , Aromantic

Hit wo Nerae

Studio: Imagin
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Ecchi

Mitsuki Ikuta works for the Houchiku Corporation, making movies. To all who know her, she is perceived as being a very infantile woman, still wearing childish fashions. A fan of the detective movie genre, she suddenly finds herself chosen to be the main producer of a new film - but it's a "hero movie" (a genre generally considered childish). Determined to succeed, regardless, she takes on the job.



Tags: Female Protagonist , Office Lady , Primarily Adult Cast , Work , Nudity , Filmmaking

Dungeons & Television

Status: Releasing
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy

Once upon a time, when television broadcasting itself was an adventure.

The invention of the television has made it possible to broadcast any event, however it is still an era where swords and sorcery abound. It has come for the cameras to turn their lens towards the darkness of dungeons, previously only known to adventurers.

Fighting countless monsters and constant equipment problems, the camera-wielding adventurers continued on, hoping to broadcast the first live dungeon capture. What may await them ahead?



Tags: Filmmaking , Medieval , Kemonomimi , Ensemble Cast , Magic , Mixed Media , Dungeon , Anachronism

Koneko no Studio

Also known as Kitty's Studio.

Studio: Toei Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy

The kitten from Yasuji Mori's earlier "Koneko no Rakugai" returns, this time putting his talents toward directing a samurai film starring his mouse friends.

Tags: Anthropomorphism , Filmmaking , Animals , Robots , Achromatic